A blog for conservatives and unionists throughout the Commonwealth and Anglosphere.

"Whatever disunites man from God, also disunites man from man...When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." ~ Edmund Burke

2011-08-29

A satellite image of Hurricane Irene headed to the North American East Coast. Also featured is Al Gore's head spinning out of control from trying to spin to the public how every weather event is due to man-made climate change.

Despite all the dire warnings from experts that Hurricane Irene would cause horrific damage to the East Coast of North America, it turned out that the forecasts for the strength of winds and the amount of rain were greatly overestimated. The big talk in New York City is that Mayor Bloomberg went too far in shutting down the subway and other services in preparation for the storm. And yet prior to Irene hitting the East Coast both FEMA and media were reporting that Irene would be far stronger and bring far more catastrophic consequences. So the question that must be asked: The experts couldn't properly forecast Irene's effect on New York City's weather the next day, but we're expected to believe their predictions for future climate patterns?

Al Gore's climate-change scientists say in a report that we need to reduce our carbon emissions to avoid an alien invasion of planet earth, but then economist Paul Krugman says an alien invasion would be good to stimulate the economy as was done with the build-up to WWII. So American liberals seem deeply divided on whether an alien invasion would be good for mankind or not. Which of these two liberal academics will President Obama listen to?

And as expected, proponents of the theory of anthropological global warming or climate change were quick to blame Hurricane Irene on the effects of mankind's emission of greenhouse gases. Some are already explaining away the embarrassing inaccuracy of these Irene predictions, saying that predicting weather is far more difficult than predicting climate. Well, if it's so difficult then how come these said climate experts are comfortable claiming that hurricanes like Irene are a direct cause of man-made climate change? So again, they can't accurately predict tomorrow's weather in New York City but they can definitively link this weather to long-term climate change patterns?

Today's news on the theory of anthropological global warming or man-made climate change became even stranger than what didn't happen with Hurricane Irene this past weekend. A report was released today, whose authors included reputed experts such as NASA scientists, that warned that man's greenhouse emissions could lead to an alien invasion from outer space. The report says that the aliens may seek to destroy mankind to protect other civilizations in the universe from our destructive, CO2-emitting ways. On the bright side US economist Paul Krugman, citing the economic build-up during WWII, recently suggested that an alien invasion would lead to economic recovery!

Also in the news today was yet another bizarre outburst from the self-proclaimed climate change prophet himself, Al Gore Jr. Ever since Climategate exposed that the East Anglia models being used to as evidence to support man-made climate change were deliberately manipulated, the Prophet Al no longer even tries to use scientific facts to argue in favour of his theory. This time Gore likened climate change skeptics to past racists in the US South like Bull Connor! In the Prophet Al's liberal mind a racist is not a Darwinist thinker who believes that groups of Homosapiens are at genetically different levels of evolutionary development, but a Tea Party conservative who's crazy enough to believe in the free market over central government planning!

2011-08-27

During one of his regular addresses to New Zealanders updating them on the affairs of the country Prime Minister John Key gives a heartfelt tribute to the recently fallen hero, New Zealand Special Air Services Member Doug Grant. This highly elite unit, modeled after the UK's Special Air Services, is part of New Zealand's contribution to the US-led War in Afghanistan. The word 'hero' is often tossed around casually in today's media, but Corporal Doug Grant died in the heroic act of attempting to rescue hostages from the British Council offices in Kabul, Afghanistan. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth behind the Right Honourable John Key is a fitting backdrop from which to pay tribute to a soldier who sacrificed his life 'For Queen and Country'.

2011-08-24

Dave Reaboi, Communications Director at the Center for Security Policy, appeared on Michael Savage's radio program on Thursday, May 26, 2011 to discuss the change in the Muslim Brotherhood's phased plan in the context of the so-called 'Arab Spring' in Egypt.

The Western media has been clueless at best and negligent at worst in its coverage of the so-called 'Arab Spring'. There are credible warnings from American and Israeli intelligence analysts that Islamic groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda such as the Muslim Brotherhood are involved in these uprisings. Worse yet, often being the best organized members of the opposition to Arab nationalist dictators, they may successfully fill the power vacuum once these dictators are toppled. This is precisely what happened when the Shah of Persia was toppled in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Islamic fundamentalists led by Ayatollah Khomeini seized power . Now that Libya's Muammar Gaddafi has been overthrown, it is uncertain how much influence hardline Islamist groups connected with the Brotherhood may have in post-Gaddafi Libya.

In Egypt the consequences of toppling dictator Hosni Mubarak are less well known since the Egyptian military is strong and disciplined enough to stop radical Islamist groups from seizing power immediately. Nonetheless, even in Egypt the recent attacks on Israel from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula by radical Islamic groups show the deteriorating security situation there. In Libya, which has no stabilizing military institution like Turkey or Egypt, Islamic terror groups like the Muslim Brotherhood or Al-Qaeda might be able to seize power far more quickly. Consider the following sobering facts:

- Western media outlets and governments, including then US President Jimmy Carter, mistakenly believed that the Iranian revolution would lead to a democratic state instead of a Islamic one.

- Many security analysts warned in vain that topping Saddam Hussein would allow hard-line Shiite Muslims allied with Iran's Ayatollahs to gain more political power.

- The security situation in Egypt's Sinai has been rapidly deteriorating as Al-Qaeda affiliated groups close to the Bedouin recently launched a terrorist attack across the border in Israel.

- Since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and the uprising against Gaffafi in Libya, a large number of Libyan arms have been smuggled into the hands of terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

- Libyan Islamists reportedly killed one of the two leading rebels fighting Muammar Gaddafi, a secularist named General Abdel Fattah Younes.

- The strongest opposition to Bashir Assad in Syria has been the city of Hama, the city where Assad's father brutally cracked down on an uprising by Syria's Muslim Brotherhood.

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Before the reformers of the Protestant Reformation were reformers like St. Bernard. Saints who reformed the Church from within while preserving the unity of the body of Christ. Many today might forget that even as early as the twelfth century the prospects for the Church, the bride of Christ in the world, looked grim. The Church in that time faced spiritual decline, possible schism from heresy, and the threat of militant Islam. But even more mightily than Charlemagne's sword centuries earlier, St. Bernard's pen moved in defense of Christendom. The mellifluous voice from Clairvaux Abbey attacked moral decadence, heretics and schismatics, and the military threat from Islam. Bernard's devotion to Christ, St. Mary, and all the Angels and Saints led him to experience the love of God in a way that impressed bishops, kings and commoners alike.

The more sophisticated but spiritually decadent theologians and academics of his time, like Peter Abelard, were no matched for his simple but pure devotion to the teachings of the Gospel. Anti-popes like Anacletus II and Christian heretics like the Cathars alike could not temper the zeal with which he defended the Orthodox Faith. And meditating upon the feats of the Maccabees and the just war teachings of St. Augustine, he seamlessly fused the seemingly contradictory professions of monk and warrior into a new knighthood. If there's anything we should remember today in remembering St. Bernard it is that man may try to rationalize God in his mind in vain, but it is opening one's heart to God's word that is the key to loving and understanding God. And that it is therefore evangelization and living a holy life, and not ecumenism and merely being scholarly, that is the key to the unity of the church.

At the end of his life Saint Bernard confessed to being conflicted by his desire to serve Christ in this world and have his soul reunited with God. Reciting one of the many verses from Sacred Scripture which he knew by heart, he repeated Saint Paul's words in Philippians 1:23 . “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far".

Now let us pray to God and take to heart the words and exoteric experience of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux:

Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has ransomed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all peoples. O virgin of Israel, you were fallen and there was none to raise you up. Arise now and shake off the dust, O virgin, captive daughter of Sion. Arise, I say, and stand on high. See the happiness which comes to you from your God. You will no longer be referred to as the forsaken one, nor your land any more termed a wilderness; for the Lord takes his delight in you, and your land shall be peopled. Raise your eyes, look about you and see; all these are gathered together and come to you. Here is the help sent to you from the Holy One! Through them is already fulfilled the ancient promise, “I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy from generation to generation. You will suck the milk of the nations and be nourished at the breasts of their sovereignty.” And again, “As a mother consoles her children, so will I console you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted.”

2011-08-18

Showing concern for the state of youth in his country, Prince Charles and Camilla ended their holiday in Scotland to visit youth Tottenham in the areas where the UK riots recently broke out. The Prince of Wales already contributes significant amounts of money through The Prince's Trust help underprivileged youth. Clarence House recently announced that the amount of money to this charity would be doubled. What was notable of the coverage of his tour through these neighbourhoods was how the poor in these neighbourhoods felt at ease speaking with the Prince, and opened up to him about their concerns about the lawlessness and the government's response.

This stood in stark contrast to the elected politicians like Prime Minister David Cameron who, perhaps in part to address public anger, were obliged to take a hard line against the youth. The Prince in contrast was able to leave the criminal prosecutions to the British Prime Minister's Office and address issues on how to improve programs that will allow youths to escape the gang culture and improve their lives. Many living in these neighbourhoods remarked to reporters how much they appreciated the unexpected visit by the Prince and his wife. They expressed their appreciation for the compassion shown by the couple saying they 'would not have expected them to care.'

“Restoring these historic identities is an important way of reconnecting today’s men and women in uniform with the proud history and traditions they carry with them as members of the Canadian Forces...A country forgets its past at its own peril. From Vimy Ridge to the Battle of the Atlantic and from Korea to the defence of Europe during the Cold War, the proud legacy of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force will once again serve as a timeless link between our veterans and serving soldiers, sailors and air personnel.”

Photograph byTed Harris, Historical poster

The Conservative Government of PM Harper deserves credit for this historic day. A special thanks should be given to former Liberal Senator Bill Rompkey, Veteran Cliff Chadderton, as well as Michael J. Smith and those who campaigned and put up the royalsalute.ca web site who worked tirelessly on petitioning the government to restore the royal honour to the Canadian Armed Forces. Even though the campaign has met success, please consider signing the petition. Without question this is a great day for this dominion and her rightful heritage with the Crown and as a part of the Commonwealth. God Save the Queen, Long May She Reign!

Here are some more of the jubilant reactions to today's announcement:

"It is quite an emotional issue for our members,”says Patricia Varga, the Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion. “We recognize the importance of tradition and our enduring links to the Royal Crown. From a personal perspective, I have served in the Royal Canadian Navy as did my father, so this issue is very close to my heart”.READ MORE

"How I wish my father could still have been alive, to hear the wonderful news of this restoration; and so many other veterans who spent their last decades watching the bureaucratic takedown of their battle standards. How glad I am for the soldiers now serving, and especially for the sailors and airmen, who may rejoice. David Warren, Ottawa Citizen ColumnistREAD MORE

"From a monarchist perspective it is always good to see the visibility of the crown restored…for me, it underlines the fact that the military is non-partisan and that the Queen is the commander-in-chief of the military."Robert Finch, Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada

Restore the Honour! Veteran's campaign to restore the royal designation to Canada's Navy and Air Force

2011-08-13

"The title, taken from Gibbon’s immortal work on imperial Rome, was chosen since British imperialists consciously compared their empire to the Roman imperium. Despite the title, this is no dreary tale of imperial decay and collapse. Instead, Brendon, a fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge, has written a colorful and often brilliant examination of the imperial experience from the American Revolution to the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty. He combines the genres of narrative history, travelogue, and biographical sketch to capture the richness, majesty, squalor, and injustice that created and maintained a vast edifice that has left an indelible imprint on the contemporary world. The narrative ranges across imperial settings in a successful effort to illustrate how both ordinary and extraordinary people lived, thrived, and often suffered under the British flag. Of course, decline and ultimate fall is part of the story. As a liberal empire based (in spirit if not always in practice) on the ideals of political liberty and even equality, it was an empire that contained the seeds of its own destruction, as citizens from America to India took those ideals to heart. The breadth, diversity, greatness, and failures of the British Empire have rarely been portrayed as well. --Jay Freeman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition."

2011-08-09

Fire rages through a building in Tottenham, north London early Sunday Aug. 7, 2011, as trouble flared after members of the community took to the streets to protest over the alleged police shooting which killed a local man last Thursday. (/AP Photo) SOURCE

The fourth night since the first riots erupted in Tottenham in North London, and the riots only seem to be growing in number. The plight of Britain's underprivileged youth, heightened by divisions of race and social class, has been written about extensively in light of these massive riots which have now spread to other cities in the United Kingdom. No doubt the United Kingdom suffers from both a permanent underclass and high youth unemployment, whose members know they have little or no chance of upward social mobility.

2011-08-07

The headlines today were dominated by news that Standard and Poor's downgraded the United States Department of Treasury debt from the top 'AAA' rating to 'AA+'. This is the first time the United States has been downgraded since 1917 which includes the period of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, it looks as though the European Union faces either disintegration or extreme hardship as it looks like only a short matter of time before Italy and Spain default on paying their bondholders. In fact, the situation in Europe is more dire since the debt crisis their is driven completely by severe economic difficulties rather than political gridlock. Wasn't it only a decade ago that analysts were saying it would be inevitable that Canada would be gobbled up by a North American Union? Weren't some of those same experts also saying that the future prosperity of the United Kingdom depended on closer integration with the European Union? One wonders if they will admit that massive public debt has led to this crisis or, like US President Barack Obama, instead blame the debt crisis on the Japan Tsunami and Arab Spring? Or maybe even blame it on Climate Change as some statists have already?

2011-08-04

One of the world's foremost experts on terrorism explains how a left-wing propaganda machine tries to attribute mainstream Christian and conservative ideas to a psychopath's self-designed doctrine written to justify his megalomaniacal mission.

To their credit the White House press corps was quick to call the aforementioned comments 'inappropriate' as soon as they were reported and apologized. The very fact that the Tea Party had worked and continues to work to elect members of Congress disqualifies them for using violence achieve political ends. Nonetheless, is this really the first time that left-wing politicians and their media pundits have made outlandish claims about the threat of terrorism from Christians and conservatives?
The answer, unfortunately, must be 'no'. You might recall a few years back that at the same time the left-wing US administration of President Obama was working shutting down Guantanamo Bay arguing the threat of Islamic terrorism was overblown, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was defending a report emphasizing the threat of terrorism from military veterans recruited by "Christian fundamentalist" and "conservative, right-wing" groups. As with Biden's comments, the White House eventually apologized to veterans.

So members the left-wing have been exploiting every terrorist attack from the Oklahoma City bombing to the Norway attacks by accusing the words of Christians and conservatives for inciting 'right-wing extremism'. The latest mantra from the left-wing is that Islamophobia from politicians like Dutch politician Geert Wilders is also to blame for these shootings. Other culprits responsible for brainwashing Breivik include the British "far-right" which presumably includes anyone who doesn't support the EU and multiculturalism.

Irshad Manji, another so-called 'right-wing extremist'.

As columnist Mark Steyn said yesterday on The Source with Ezra Levant, almost anyone whose ideology doesn't conform to political correctness is automatically labelled as 'right-wing'. As an example Steyn includes Islamic feminist Irshad Manji who, like Breivik, is also described by the usual suspects as 'right-wing'. So right-wing parties in Norway are being blamed, the Tea Party and Sarah Palin are being blamed, and conservative media personalities are being blamed for not confessing that Breivik was inspired by their writings.

The truth is that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was an atheist who criticized both left-wing liberals and right-wing conservatives of destroying America. Even a cursory glance at Anders Breivik's manifesto reveals someone who is a non-practicing, cultural Christian who quotes in his manifesto as much from left-wing writers like Canadian Naomi Klein as he does right-wing ones like American Robert Spencer.

We conservatives understand is that those ultimately responsible for terrorist acts of violence are the terrorists themselves who carried out those attacks. The reason the left-wing is dangerous is they seek to politicize the apolitical by blaming any possible part of society except the actual perpetrator for acts of terrorism. If it can't be explained by poverty, racism, sexism, or another unjust discrimination then it must be because of the 'right-wing'. How else to explain their insistence that Fox News or the Tea Party is somehow more responsible for the Norway attacks than Anders Breivik himself?

QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND HER OTHER REALMS AND TERRITORIES, HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH

"I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong." ~ 21st birthday speech, 21 April 1947

ABOUT ME

"The modern monarchy is like the king piece in chess. He doesn't actually do much at all, and the casual observer might conclude that it has no bearing on the game whatsoever. And yet it is the most important piece of the game because it determines how all other pieces on the board interact. And more by occupying the role that it does, it prevents any other piece from occupying that role. The modern monarchy means we're playing a different game altogether."